Roof bolt drills commonly used at present in mines, and in particular on continuous mining machines, are supported on bulky frame structures incorporating vertical guides to guide the drill pot as it is advanced upwardly in the drilling operation. The drive mechanism for vertical movement of the drill pot is commonly driven by way of an external chain and sprocket mechanism. This drive system is bulky and takes up considerable room on the miner, causing the drill pots to be spaced apart by a considerable distance which reduces the rate at which the roof can be effectively drilled for the placement of roof bolts and/or reduces the safety of the roof in the mining operation.
It is desirable to provide a roof bolt drill feed mechanism which, while being robust and simple in operation, is compact in dimension, enabling adjacent drill pots to be placed closely together, and also close to the cutting face of the mining machine.